I saw The Princess Diaries in the local free library and figured I would give it a try since I liked the movie and was out of books to read. Normally I try to read a book before seeing the movie and I think this time I would have liked the book more if I had not seen the movie first. I really struggled with the diary entry format, I do not feel like it was a believable diary entry. 

Mia is totally shocked to learn that she is a princess and her father the current prince is unable to have more children so she must inherit the throne one day. Not exactly what is thought of as a princess Mia is forced to spend time with her Grandmere learning how to be a princess, has to keep her secret from the world including her best friend, and deal with her algebra teaching failing her. 

At times the diary entries just seemed off. Randomly writing out math problems did not seem to fit with what I would imagine a teenager writing in her diary. I also felt like things were left out with the story being in a diary format. Plus with how much time it takes to write a diary entry I thought it was fairly odd Mia was writing several diary entries in one day. Despite that I do have the second book sitting here and plan on giving it a try.

The Tattooist of Auschwitz

 

I have wanted to read The Tattooist of Auschwitz since I saw it in the bookstore when it was released. I knew it would be sad but I am strong believer of those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it.

Lale volunteers to do with the Nazi's when it is ordered for his family to give up one male over 18. Since his brother has a wife and kids Lale goes. Hoping to buy his way into an easy job Lale takes a lot large amount of money with him along with precious books in a suitcase. Sadly none of those thing will help Lale as he is taken to Auschwitz where he is forced into manual labor. Soon Lale falls ill but the other prisoners risk nursing him back to health and shortly after that Lale meets the current Tattoist who wants to teach Lale the trade. Proficient in several languages Lale is a good choice for the job since he can speak to most of the prisoners. I do not want to give away the rest of the story so I will leave it at that.

The writing flowed nicely and not once was I confused or needing clarification on what was occurring. Haunting, heartbreaking, and traumatizing Morris spins Lale's story into a portrayal of hope. It is proof that good people did exist and did what they could to help even at the risk of their own safety. I have no doubt the story will stay with me for a long time.

The Invention of Wings

 

I had been wanting to read The Invention of Wings for awhile so when I saw it at the local second hand shop I quickly grabbed it.

The story is told from the alternating point of view of Sarah, a rich slave owner's daughter, and Hetty a slave. Despite each girl having a very different life the two are intertwined on a journey that will last a lifetime. Determined to live her own life Hetty never stops dreaming of a life of freedom and Sarah dreams of a world without slaves. Horrified by her families lifestyle Sarah does all she can to voice how wrong slavery is while trying to protect Hetty from her endeavors that would get her in trouble. 

I enjoyed the first half of the story the most. It was sad but also provided hope in that some slave owners children did not believe in how things were. Despite the risks to herself Sarah never stopped speaking out on how things needed to change which was inspiring. While it is clear Hetty wanted things to change she also had her well being to think of and did act as forcefully a Sarah did. The writing was smooth and the transition between the two characters seamless. 

Tarnished City

 

While I disliked Gilded Cage a lot I had hoped Tarnished City would redeem the trilogy for me but it was not meant to be. If anything I disliked Tarnished City even more then Gilded Cage which is saying a lot.

I still do not care about any of the characters or what happens to them. Only one character do I feel anything for and it is annoyance. I really wish that she had been killed off. Just like with Gilded Cage I feel the series is too short to have so many points of view going on in each book. It makes it harder to connect to the characters and care about what happens to them. The writing style continues on in the same manner and twists and turns are presented. 

While I would like to know if Equals loose power I am not interested enough to try to slosh my way through another boring book. 

Incarceron

 

Since I am having problems getting books from the library due to massive waiting lists I went to the local second hand shop and browsed. The lovely cover of Incarceron instantly drew me into grabbing it. 

Honestly I do not even know where to begin with how bad Incarceron is. The story jumps around, words are introduced that are not explained. It is great if an author wants to use their imagination and add words to their story but include a glossary or at the very least a footnote explaining the definition of the word. Even having finished the story I still do not know a good definition of what some words mean. 

Claudia is a spoiled rich girl who knows nothing of life except to be pampered and handed anything she wants. The only person she fears is her father who is the warden of Incarceron. Finn cannot recall his life before waking up in the cell and crawling into the light. He has an odd tattoo on his arm and those in Incarceron revere him as a starseer. 

The writing was a mess with the story jumping around everywhere, characters had almost no growth or if they did it did not really fit into the story. Since I had nothing else to read I kept on with Incarceron but it is one of the most disappointing books I have read in a long time. 

Gilded Cage

 

Gilded Cage is the first book in the Dark Gifts trilogy. Since Covid has hit I am struggling to get books from the library I happened to see Gilded Cage on the home page as one the librarian recommended and it was available to check out. After reading it I see why it was available for check out.

The idea behind Gilded Cage sounded so intriguing and original in a a way. Modern world with a small percentage of people who have skill and normal people having to serve ten years as slaves since they lack skill. My biggest complaint with Gilded Cage was for a trilogy the story has way too many points of view occurring. Everything jumps around so quickly and nothing is really revealed to keep the story moving forward. I have read high fantasy that deals with a lot of characters and I do enjoy that but with this style of writing and such a short series it flat out does not work. I feel like I was unable to get to know any of the characters, get a good grasp on the plot, or even really care what happens to most of the characters.

I did check out the second book last night because I wanted something to read before bed but I am not sure if I will continue with it or not. 

The Diplomat's Wife

 

I had no idea The Diploma's Wife was technically the second book in a series. That said I did not struggle to understand the story and while I may have grown closer to the characters in the story I do not feel like I missed out on what happened due to not reading the first book.

Marta works for the resistance and to save her best friend she shoots a Nazi. In return she is shot and taken prisoner for questioning. Refusing to give up information Marta sufferers brutal treatment at the hands of the Nazi's until she is rescued by some American soldiers who take her to a camp for the liberated. Determined to find her way Marta slowly works on getting better and to her shock is reunited with the American solider, Paul, who saved her from the prison. Feeling all is finally going well in her life Marta once again loses her sense of security in an instant when she is forced to leave the camp and travel on her own towards America. 

I really liked the story but at times chapters seemed a bit mundane. Those few chapters I did sort of skim until I got to more of the meat of the story. With twists and turns things caught me off guard and I appreciated the writing style that was smooth yet mostly entertaining.